From The Salisbury & Winchester Journal, 26th November 1781:
On Thursday a cart being observed to pass through this city (Salisbury) which was suspected to contain smuggled goods, some officers of excise with a soldier, immediately pursued the same, (three in a chaise, and one on horseback) and came up with it near Abbot’s Ann, about three miles from Andover, a little past 5 o’clock. There were two men on horseback, and a boy, belonging to the cart; one of the men being some distance behind, was seized first, and put into the chaise. On coming up with the other, the officer on horseback demanded a surrender of the goods, on which a scuffle ensued. The smuggler, with a large whip, striking at the officer with great violence, he called out to those in the chaise for assistance, when one, who was riding on the shaft, took a gun out of the chaise, and jumped down, and in the fray, while he held it by his side, it went off, and shot the smuggler in the head, so that he fell wounded on the horse’s back. He was immediately put into the chaise, and carried to the White Hart and Star inn, at Andover, where a surgeon attended him, but he died about 11 o’clock the same night. The next day the Coroner’s inquest sat on the body, and brought in their verdict of Manslaughter. We hear that his name is Friday, and that he lived at Longham. The seizure made on this above occasion consisted of 240lb. of tea, a cart, and four horses.